Hungry? Like exotic animals? Enjoy free gourmet food and live music? Then be part of the pride and party at The Oakland Zoo's "Walk in the Wild." Reserve your tickets now at: www.oaklandzoo.org for a Walk, Dine & Stroll throughout the zoo followed by dancing under the stars on the Flamingo Plaza. It doesn't get any better than this!

Between giraffes and lions you may find Wente Vineyards, Fiscalini Cheese or Skates on the Bar. Now where is the home of Chicken and Waffles? By the time you wander over to the warthogs and baboons, Scott's Seafood Grill & Bar or the Ghiradelli Chocolate Company may have tempted you. And then, of course, if tigers and gibbons are nearby, it must be El Torito, Miss Pearl's and Vermont Hard Cider. Don't take my word for it though, reserve your tickets and be at the Oakland Zoo on Friday, June 22.

Over 100 vendors of wine and beer, cider and teas, restaurants of every ilk, bring their specialties to the Zoo that night so that you can taste their offerings and enjoy a walk in the wild. Your ticket pays for more than entry and entertainment; it supports the mission of the Oakland Zoo. Dedicated to conservation and education, the Oakland Zoo is home to a myriad of conservation projects on its own grounds in collaboration with partners around the world.

This spring brought new baby baboons and river otters, a quartet of baby goats, and a trio of baby meerkats. A new blue-bellied roller was born in the spring - now all you have to do is figure out what that is and where to find it. Since 2007, over 200 blue spiny lizards have been born at the Oakland Zoo. How come we're not overrun with these lizards? Because a partnership with zoos and facilities across the US and Canada that belong to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) are beneficiaries of this successful breeding program. Los Animales do los Arboles, a new exhibit at the zoo, treats visitors to a peek at tiny cotton-top tamarin monkeys and Coatimundis for the first time.

Although Walk in the Wild doesn't include take home privileges of the zoo babies, you will bring home a lot of swag; perhaps free Fat Tire Ale chapstick, a Fenton Creamery server's hat, brewery and vintner magnets and coasters, plus a slew of new ideas for dining out and memories of riding the Zoo Train and the Sky Ride over the African Savannah. This is an all-adult evening, so get a baby-sitter and let yourself enjoy an evening with a different group of kids.

Want more entertainment? Duos and trios of musicians will be waiting throughout the zoo, encouraging a quick-step or two as you pass. Local performers, bakeries, breweries, caterers, restaurants, and wineries, plus projects with conservation partners in Colombia and around the world, give a new meaning to "think globally, act locally." A finale of dancing and dessert on Flamingo Plaza, under the stars is the perfect ending to an evening in the "wild."

Walk in the Wild at the Oakland Zoo has become a regular outing for my family and friends. If you haven't been yet, turn out this year. If you've been before, come back to one of the area's most original and valuable fundraisers.

Follow Simon And Garfunkel's advice, visit the Oakland Zoo on June 22 to "Walk in the Wild."

Someone told meIt's all happening at the zoo.I do believe it,I do believe it's true.